Final verbs and adjectives

The examples just given illustrate a more general tendency: we put nucleus on a noun where possible, in preference to other word classes.

This is seen in various constructions which involve having a verb at the end of a sentence or clause. A final verb is usually deaccented, and the nucleus goes on a preceding noun:

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^▸How's the 'homework going?

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I've ^▸still got an 'essay to write.

^▸Which 'book did you choose?
We've got to get the 'car fixed.
I ^▸wonder where 'Mary went.
A^▸long the sides of the 'road | there were ^▸several 'cars parked.

This applies in particular to final defining relative clauses:

Just ^▸look at the 'tie he's wearing!
^▸Where's that 'salad I was eating?
I ^▸don't like that 'cheese you've bought.

In the following example, the nucleus is likely to be on Helen or children (nouns), depending on focus, but not on the verb bringing

D'you ^▸know how many 'children Helen's bringing?
D'you ^▸know how many children 'Helen's bringing?

The same deaccenting applies to the final adjective in sentences such as:

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He ^▸ought to keep his 'mouth shut.

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You ^▸need to keep the 'brush wet.

We're ^▸going to the 'table ready.
Is the 'window open?

and to the up in:

I ^▸wonder what 'Eleanor's up to

Compare the following, where there is no preceding noun to attract the nucleus - so the nucleus goes on the last lexical item (the verb or adjective), as expected.

Just ^▸look at what he's 'wearing!
^▸What did she 'say?
^▸How's it 'going?
I've ^▸still got something to 'write.
^▸What did you 'choose.
We've 'got to get it 'fixed.
He 'ought to keep it 'shut.
Is it 'open?
I 'wonder where she 'went.
We're ^▸going to get 'ready.
You ^▸need to keep it 'wet.
I ^▸wonder what's she 'up to

In set (i) below, the NP is lexical, so the nuclear accent goes on the noun. In set (ii), the NP is a pronoun or empty word (see

3.20

), so the nucleus goes on the verb.

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(i) I've got some 'work to do.

We ^▸haven't 'finished: | there's 'still some 'washing to do.
He's ^▸got some 'writing to do.

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^▸Tell me what to 'do.

I'm 'busy: | I've 'got things to 'do.
^▸Give him something to 'do.

The construction in question mostly involve a syntactic movement of some kind, taking a noun phrase (or other type of phrase) that would otherwise follow the verb and moving it to an earlier position. This leaves the verb at the end.

Several idiomatic and fossilized expressions have a fixed tonicity that can be explained by the tendency to place the nucleus on a noun rather than a verb.

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^▸Wait and see which way the 'wind is blowing. (= what's going to happen)

^▸Onions make my 'eyes water. (= make me shed tears)
You're ^▸going to get your 'finger burnt. (= suffer unpleasant consequences)
She's ^▸got a 'screw loose. (= is crazy)
Let's ^▸wait for the 'dust to settle. (= till things calm down)
She looked like ^▸something the 'cat had brought in. (= very untidy)
^▸Keep your 'fingers crossed! (= let's hope something good happens)
We can ^▸go on 'asking | till the 'cows come home (= for ever)
It ^▸made my 'hair stand on end. (= frighten me)
The ^▸got like a 'house on fire. (= quickly established a good relationship)
He'll ^▸have his 'work cut out! (= it will be difficult for him to do)

Further example of idiomatic tonicity:

^▸What's 'that supposed to mean? (used when you're annoy at what someone just said)
You can ^▸say 'that again. ( = I completely agree with you)
'There's a good girl! 'There's a clever dog! etc. (to compliment a child or an animal)
^▸What 'of it? (= I don't care. It doesn't concern me)
to be 'at it. (= be busy; be arguing; be having sex)
^▸throw a 'spanner in the works (= unexpectedly disrupt something)
^▸What's 'that when it's at home? (= what does that word mean?)

Note the difference in default accenting in pairs such as the following:

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(i) He has a ^▸duty to per'form. (= He must perform, that is his duty.)

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(ii) He has a 'duty to perform. (= He must perform a duty)

(i) a ^▸wish to 'please (= a wish that we should please people)
(ii) an 'audience to please (= an audience that we must please)

(i) She ^▸gave him directions to 'follow. ( She said he must follow her)
(ii) She ^▸gave him di'rections to follow. (He had to follow her directions.).

Last update at: 2023/09/09 06:11:55